Ivana Christman

Where to begin. I am from a small town in central Indiana, where I lived as the black sheep in a family of nine children. Well, I would say more like the hot pink sheep with polka-dots…as I really never fit in. I was ready to run from the small-town life, so I chose a big college and had big dreams. I went off to college with aspirations to be a big-shot lawyer, working out of a high rise in LA or NYC, but those plans were thwarted quickly with friends going before me and telling me to beware. The long hours, boring professors and soulless work they went on and on about was enough to detour me. However, I still think that I would have been one hell of a litigator…but I digress.

I went in the direction of an MBA instead and rose up the ranks the multi-family industry. I am now a managing principal in my company and the acting President where I once again fall back into my polka-dotted sheep world.

See, I have the best partners, but as they are all Orthodox Jewish men, most related even, as a gentile, female raised to follow the ways of Jesus…well, one can say that I stick out like a sore thumb to the common eye…but I somehow fit right in. Our differences actually make us all better and we fit together like a perfect puzzle. I feel most myself when working and if there was ever a glass ceiling here, I never hit it. Or maybe I just shattered it without knowing… Marilyn Loden would be proud.

I certainly like a challenge. One could say that I make life harder than it needs to be just to say, “see that, I did that.” It’s my one area of narcissism, but I am ok with it. I don’t brag, but at my job, there are days where I feel so accomplished that I want to scream it out loud. I try not to…but who’s to say I haven’t made a few sad and annoying braggadocios comments in the recent years. But in the words of every politician…I don’t recall!

Always seeking a new challenge, I began working towards public speaking and attained the role as a speaker within my industry at several local and national conferences. I love it so much, that I began a company conference series in 2021 that offers the big conference feel but focuses on education specific for my team and our communities only. It is something I am super proud of starting, but prouder that this incredible team I work with make it happen with me each year.

Previous slide

Next slide

But in all that I do, what I do the most is write. I write thousands and thousands of pages of policy, procedure, handbooks, courses, speeches and more. Lots and lots of words, but never a story. Writing has always been a part of my life and I had a desire to one day write a story that had meaning, but first I had to get my life situated. I needed to get everything aligned so I could devote time and real effort into whatever story I was going to tell. Work has always been simple, I learned how to navigate my hot pink sheep-ness with the family, but as for my personal life…well, until I met Adam was still quite the mess.

See, for my personal life, I think the term to best describe my past is ‘hot mess;’ as no other phrase quite illustrates me as well. I wanted to be free and to date for fun, but somehow, I turned into a serial monogamist locking myself into horribly bad fitting relationship after relationship. Always seeking a challenge here as well, I guess. Thinking that I could fix broken people. News flash…that is not how relationships work.

After years of relationship turmoil and complete and utter failures, I re-met my true love. While dressed in a Michael’s Christmas bag, at an ugly Christmas sweater party, I saw him there in a pink bunny suit, and I was begrudgingly smitten.

We had met before, several times actually. And our prior interactions were well, dreadful at best. But this night was different. He was different. I was different. Coming off a failed engagement, I was 18 days fresh into being single and went into this relationship with no agenda to fix him. I was done looking to fix anyone, I just needed fun, easy and to be myself. I was obviously not in a great mental state to jump into another committed relationship after 18 days, but with Adam, it was incredibly different. I was smitten for the first time in my life.

But in all that I do, what I do the most is write. I write thousands and thousands of pages of policy, procedure, handbooks, courses, speeches and more…lots and lots of words, but never a story.

After some Jell-O shots, bad dancing, and awkward flirting, I was hooked. He was too by the way, don’t ever let him say different.

Here we are over 14 years later with three kids, no pets (we tried guinea pigs and that was not for us), our, I am not even sure what number, house and living in true contentment. We made our way back to Indiana after what feels like a US tour, and everything finally aligned.

I turned 40 in 2022 and thought about what I had accomplished in life. I had checked so many of my bucket list items off, so I could look at that paper and smile. But the one that sat at the top of my list was to write a book, and there was no check mark next to it. And I know, everyone wants to write a book and to learn a 2nd language. It’s just like the annual New Year’s resolution to eat less sugar and meditate more. They are empty promises we make ourselves with maybe 1% of people actually doing them. But I want to always be in that 1%. However, I was not giving up sugar, bring on the childish, unhealthy candy, meditation only enhances my tinnitus, and after years of Duolingo, no hablo espanol…so book it was!

I had just become a business owner, our IVF journey for a girl was successful as I was entering my 2nd trimester and I found myself wasting any free time I had, scrolling on social media. So.Much.Scrolling.

I just woke up one day, and stopped scrolling. Every time I wanted to scroll, I opened my word doc and wrote Under The Elm instead.

Previous slide

Next slide

I didn’t have a storyline in mind. I didn’t do an outline like the famed James Patterson told me to. Sorry Mr. Patterson. I didn’t know what direction I was going to go in. I just wrote. The book took less time than expected but it was the first time I have done something where it was so incredibly comfortable, and I didn’t want to make it harder. I just let it be what it was.

Now as I re-read my book, there are chapters I want to change and characters I want to develop more, but that passion to do more with it makes me know it was the right decision to write. As I relate to Monty in the book, I cannot wait to take the story further…sequel or prequal, or maybe the same story from another character’s vantage point. I am not sure the next steps, but I plan to write more and maybe one day someone will read my books and want to write their own. Or maybe Jessica Biel will pick it up for a Sinners series…a girl can hope, right?

About the Author

Ivana Christman

But in all that I do, what I do the most is write. I write thousands and thousands of pages of policy, procedure, handbooks, courses, speeches and more…lots and lots of words, but never a story.

Quick Links

Contact

Shhh! Listen up!